KAMPALA, January 27, 2026 — The International Cooperative Alliance [ICA] Regional and Global teams have taken a major step towards the worldwide launch of a new Legal Framework Analysis [LFA], following a technical workshop held this week to mark the start of its implementation.
Taking place during the week of the United Nations International Day of Education, the workshop brought together ICA teams from across regions to lay the groundwork for this key harmonised activity, which will be driven primarily by ICA Regional Offices and delivered through to 2028.
The workshop focused on equipping ICA teams with the necessary methodologies and technical tools, ensuring a harmonised global launch, identifying cooperative law experts, and strengthening mutual learning and cooperation among teams. This collaborative approach is designed to ensure consistent, high-quality results across regions while responding to diverse legal contexts.
The Legal Framework Analysis plays a critical role in strengthening cooperative development worldwide. Cooperative-friendly legislation is essential for creating an enabling and supportive environment in which cooperatives can thrive.
However, in many countries, existing legal frameworks do not fully reflect cooperative values and principles, nor do they adequately incorporate international legal standards on cooperatives. These gaps limit the potential impact of the cooperative model at local, regional and international levels.
This new phase of the LFA builds on the strong foundations laid under the previous ICA–EU Partnership, which produced 79 national reports. The renewed initiative will review existing analyses, generate a significant number of new country reports, support comparative research across regions, and develop internationally comparative legal studies and reports.
The overarching goal is to deliver an evidence-based analysis of cooperative legal frameworks, accompanied by concrete recommendations to strengthen legislation and public policies. These findings will support advocacy efforts and promote a level playing field for cooperatives worldwide.
A public webinar to present the initiative’s methodology, scope, objectives and relevance for the global cooperative movement will be announced shortly.
The Legal Framework Analysis forms part of the ICA–EU Partnership 2024–2028, also known as #coops4dev. This five-year international cooperative development programme is implemented by the ICA Global Office, ICA Africa, Cooperatives of the Americas, ICA Asia and Pacific, and Cooperatives Europe, and is co-funded by the European Union. The partnership aims to strengthen the ICA network and position cooperatives as key international development actors within the EU Development Agenda.
https://thecooperator.news/high-chief-ayeola-tajudeen-oriyomi-president-of-ica-africa-dies-aged-56/
